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Most Valuable Player candidate Matt Kemp and the Los Angeles Dodgers are on the verge of agreeing to a new eight-year, $160 million contract, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Monday.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Kemp was scheduled for a physical Monday at 10 a.m. PT before the deal, which has no incentives or option years, could be made official.

The deal was expected to be announced on Monday afternoon in Compton, where Kemp and outgoing Dodgers owner Frank McCourt attended the dedication of a new youth baseball field as part of the Dodgers Dreamfield program, but no confirmation was made.

"We're getting close but nothing is official yet," Kemp said. "Everybody knows that I want to stay a Dodger, be a Dodger and end my career here. That's up to the Dodger organization."

Both Kemp's agent, Dave Stewart, and Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti have expressed optimism recently that the sides could come to terms.

Everybody knows that I want to stay a Dodger, be a Dodger and end my career here," Kemp said. "That's up to the Dodger organizaiton. I'm here for the long haul."

The deal would make Kemp one of baseball's highest-paid players and it would be the largest in team history. The previous record was set in 1998 when pitcher Kevin Brown signed a $105 million, seven-year deal.

Kemp would be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season and would be a hot commodity after leading the NL in home runs (39) and RBIs (126) this past season. He made a run at becoming the majors' first Triple Crown winner in 44 years before finishing third in the NL in hitting (.324) and also stole 40 bases, leaving him a home run shy of becoming the fifth player in big league history to join the 40/40 club.

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The thing with Kemp is he has the talent to be well worth the deal, but he also has the attitude to make this a horrible contract. He put it all together this year, but that doesn't erase some of the episodes he's had in the past. We'll see.

Major League Baseball is planning radical changes to the playoffs to begin in 2022. The changes, summarized:
Seven playoff teams in each league, up from five
Team with best record in each league gets first-round bye
Two division winners and best wild card team host best-of-three series against...

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/fantasy/bts/y2016/splash_index.jsp
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